We seem to have an epidemic of bad news about the behaviour of men. But we do have to remember to keep things in proportion. The world is not only populated by criminal men. There are men we all know who are perfectly normal, who behave reasonably well, both in the public eye & out of it.
There are also women who behave really badly & commit crimes.
The problem is that although there is a reasonable balance in the general population of men & women, the overriding number of criminals are men. Like most sexual species, the sex ratio in humans is approximately 1:1. Whereas statistics have been consistent in reporting that men commit much higher rates of criminal acts than women. Differing explanations include men's evolutionary tendency toward risk and violent behaviour & their lower levels of self control.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_differences_in_crime
I think the thing I find most worrying about the current spate of dreadful behaviour by men in the news is the sheer brazen effrontery of it. These men thought they were above the law, not just in a legal sense, but in terms of acceptable behaviour. You have to ask if personality types like these actually feel a sense of entitlement to behave in this way. I'm no psychologist, but most people have a mechanism which allows them to control aberrant behaviour. There just appears not to be an off switch in these men. They are unable to see their victims as human beings. So are they all Psychopaths?
"Psychopathy is among the most difficult disorders to spot. The psychopath can appear normal, even charming. Underneath, he lacks conscience and empathy,
making him manipulative, volatile and often (but by no means always)
criminal. Adult psychopathy is largely impervious to treatment.
Brain anatomy, genetics, and a person’s environment may all contribute to the development of psychopathic traits.
The terms “psychopath” and “sociopath” are often used interchangeably, but a “sociopath” refers to a person with antisocial tendencies that are ascribed to social or environmental factors, whereas psychopathic traits are more innate. Both are Antisocial Personality Disorders".
Is this type of male behaviour getting more prevalent, or is it just more widely reported? That judgement is above my pay grade. However I do think that there are a lot of children being brought up in poverty, in homes where parenting skills are poor, non existant or even abusive. My guess is that there have always been social conditions like this, but nowadays we know more about them & the impact they have on children.
So whose responsibility is it? Parents, Family, Friends, the Church, Politicians? All of those.
We should not be allowing children to need their schools to provide a daily wholesome meal. We should not be allowing families in work to need food banks to get by. We need politicians to really tackle poverty, not just here & in the "developed world" - (I use the term loosely), but in the world at large. We should not be silent when politicians are corrupt & let them "divert" vast amounts of money to their own coffers. We should pay heed to "whistle blowers". We should listen to the victims of powerful men.
Politicians do have the power to change things, but so do we. Our voices should be loud & should be heard. What sort of world do we want for our children?
Brain anatomy, genetics, and a person’s environment may all contribute to the development of psychopathic traits.
The terms “psychopath” and “sociopath” are often used interchangeably, but a “sociopath” refers to a person with antisocial tendencies that are ascribed to social or environmental factors, whereas psychopathic traits are more innate. Both are Antisocial Personality Disorders".
Is this type of male behaviour getting more prevalent, or is it just more widely reported? That judgement is above my pay grade. However I do think that there are a lot of children being brought up in poverty, in homes where parenting skills are poor, non existant or even abusive. My guess is that there have always been social conditions like this, but nowadays we know more about them & the impact they have on children.
So whose responsibility is it? Parents, Family, Friends, the Church, Politicians? All of those.
We should not be allowing children to need their schools to provide a daily wholesome meal. We should not be allowing families in work to need food banks to get by. We need politicians to really tackle poverty, not just here & in the "developed world" - (I use the term loosely), but in the world at large. We should not be silent when politicians are corrupt & let them "divert" vast amounts of money to their own coffers. We should pay heed to "whistle blowers". We should listen to the victims of powerful men.
Politicians do have the power to change things, but so do we. Our voices should be loud & should be heard. What sort of world do we want for our children?
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